[ RadSafe ] Re: Fw: Someone just responded to your comment

Mercado, Don don.mercado at lmco.com
Wed Sep 7 10:26:28 CDT 2005


As part of our jobs as radiation professionals, we have to enforce the
ALARA principle. What you believe about LNT will drive your judgment and
actions on what you think is "reasonable". Someone who thinks that LNT
is real might spend $100 to reduce exposure by 100 mrem per annum per
person. Someone who thinks LNT is a crock might not. Is it ok to walk
through a 500 mR/hr field for 20 seconds without turning off the x-ray
machine, remembering that it takes a half hour to restabilize the
machine after its been turned off and restarted? So LNT beliefs can
translate into real actions, real expenditures or savings, and real
exposures for every HP professional.

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of John Jacobus
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 5:09 PM
To: jjcohen at prodigy.net; bobcherry at cox.net; Roger Helbig
Cc: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Re: Fw: Someone just responded to your comment


Jerry,
Whether or not I believe in the LNT, or any other
dose-response model, is immaterial to the my job as a
health physicist.  I would say that is true for many
if not all health physicists.  We use professional
judgement, and years of education and experience, to
ensure that radiation workers can do their job safely
and without due risk in compliance with the conditions
of our licenses.  No where in our license or in the
regulations is the LNT or any other dose-response
model mentioned.

Since you are not being a health physicist or having
any experience in radiation safety, I would not expect
you to know or understand radiation safety practices. 
I do not think this is an opinion, but a statement of
fact.  You should also not assume to know what health
physicist believe without knowing some.

--- jjcohen at prodigy.net wrote:

> John,
>     If the only function of a Health Physicist were
> to assure compliance
> with appropriate laws and regulations (i.e. no
> judgment required), then they
> need not be professionals. If you really believe
> that LNT is not the a
> fundamental precept of current HP practice, you are
> certainly entitled to
> your opinion --- misguided though it may be.   
> Jerry
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Jacobus" <crispy_bird at yahoo.com>
> To: <jjcohen at prodigy.net>; <bobcherry at cox.net>;
> "Roger Helbig"
> <rhelbig at california.com>
> Cc: <radsafe at radlab.nl>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 8:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Re: Fw: Someone just
> responded to your comment
> 
> 
> > Jerry,
> > As a health physicist since 1975, I can say that
> there
> > is a broad feeling about radiation risk.  We are
> > safety professionals who are concerned about
> workers
> > and the public.  The basis for our work is not
> based
> > on the LNT, but the legislation we comply with.
> >
> > I you also say that "IMHO" usually indicates the
> > person is not humble but has an personal opinion
> that
> > is usually not based on facts.
> >
> > --- jjcohen at prodigy.net wrote:


+++++++++++++++++++
"Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea and never
shrinks back to its original proportion." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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